Mark Turgeon has done a pretty good job hiding his displeasure about the lack of attendance at Comcast Center since he took over last season at Maryland, making only occasional public comments on the topic. But in talking about Sunday's matchup with George Mason in the BB&T Classic at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.,Turgeon's truth-serumed tongue got the better of him. Asked if his Terps might have a difficult time adjusting to playing in what might be a half-empty (or worse)

The Baltimore Arena will be getting a face-lift quickly, with the city expected to select Royal Farms on Wednesday as the venue's new title sponsor. The Baltimore-based chain of convenience stores known for its fried chicken has agreed to pay $250,000 per year for five years to name the 14,000-seat arena the Royal Farms Arena. If approved, the new name would go into effect Nov. 1, according to the agenda for Wednesday's Board of Estimates meeting. Efforts to reach leaders of the 160-store business, which operates in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Virginia, were unsuccessful Monday evening.

The Maryland crowd kept looking for a reason to celebrate Sunday. Restless and fidgety, the gold-clad students were like champagne bottles waiting to be uncorked. There was so much at stake for the Terps - a chance to beat a potent rival, to extend their winning streak to three games and begin to establish a foothold for an NCAA tournament berth. But the Maryland fans never got the opportunity to cut loose. Rather than seize their big moment, the Terps were oddly lethargic in falling victim to Virginia's defense and 3-pointers in an 80-69 loss to the Cavaliers in front of an announced 16,895 at Comcast Center.

The Comcast Center is no longer. The University of Maryland's arena will now be called the XFINITY Center, the school announced Monday. “We are excited to place the name Xfinity on this beloved University of Maryland sports venue,” Tom Coughlin, senior vice president of Comcast's Beltway region, said in a news release. “Our Xfinity brand represents our commitment to delivering an unparalleled, innovative entertainment experience to local consumers, and our partnership with the University of Maryland athletics department underscores this promise.” The building opened in 2002 and is home to the Terps' men's and women's basketball, gymnastics, volleyball, and wrestling teams.

More than a quarter century after he was forced to resign in the months following the cocaine-induced death of basketball star Len Bias, longtime Maryland coach Lefty Driesell was officially - and permanently - recognized Tuesday with the unveiling of a bronzed bas relief sculpture in his honor at Comcast Center. In a ceremony that attracted a few hundred friends, family and fans and brought back close to 50 players - including Tom McMillen and Len Elmore, who spearheaded the effort to get their former coach recognized - Driesell, now 81, was both emotional and typically cantankerous in accepting the honor.

Maryland junior Alyssa Thomas could not have been more pleased when her younger brother, Devin, scored a career-high 25 points last week for Wake Forest in an upset of then-No. 18 North Carolina State. What's more, Devin went on to be named ACC Rookie of the Week, an award Alyssa won a program record seven times on the way to winning conference Rookie of the Year in 2010-11. Alyssa even sent a text message to Devin congratulating the 6-foot-9 forward on his performance against the Wolfpack, which also featured team highs of 14 rebounds, four assists, four blocks and three steals.

Tommy Brenton acknowledges he felt nervous the last time he took the floor at Comcast Center. It was the spring of 2007, and the senior forward had led his River Hill basketball team to the Class 3A state championship game. With a Maryland grad and "big Terps basketball fan" for a father, Brenton grew up dreaming of the day he'd play on the same court where he watched Gary Williams-coached teams grind out victories. On Friday, more than five-and-a-half years after leading the Hawks to their first boys basketball state title, Brenton will make his long-awaited return to Comcast Center, only this time the anxiety of a high school senior will be replaced by the confidence of a 23-year-old graduate student.

Maryland has told former basketball players Ernest Graham and Johnny Rhodes that they will soon join 16 other Terps whose names and numbers appear on banners hanging from the Comcast Center rafters. The players — from different eras — confirmed in interviews Thursday with The Baltimore Sun that they have been notified by the athletic department that they will be honored this season. Maryland does not retire basketball numbers. Instead, the school hangs mock jerseys from the roof and holds ceremonies for players.

Johnny Rhodes has often been overlooked in the discussion of Maryland's greatest all-time players. That is not surprising, since Rhodes rarely got a ton of credit even as he helped the Terps begin their turnaround under Gary Williams during the mid-1990s. As much as Joe Smith and Keith Booth were the most celebrated players by fans and the media, and for good reason, Rhodes was just as respected by his teammates and coaches. Rhodes finished his career in College Park as one of the best all-around players in program history.

Maryland said Tuesday that it will name the Comcast Center basketball court for Gary Williams, who retired as men's coach in May after 22 seasons and a school-record 461 wins. Williams will be honored during a Dec. 9 Comcast Center ceremony. He will join such coaching peers as Duke's Mike Krzyzewski; Bobby Cremins, formerly of Georgia Tech; and former Arizona coach Lute Olson in being so honored. Maryland's decision comes as the school is privately planning to honor — perhaps by hanging a banner — former coach Lefty Driesell, who was 348-159 in 17 Maryland seasons before being forced out following the cocaine-induced death of star player Len Bias 25 years ago. His supporters have long felt Driesell never got his due. New coach Mark Turgeon has reached out to Driesell since being hired May 9. The plan to name the court for Williams was proposed long before he retired.

Thank you for that wonderful editorial about our University of Maryland women's basketball treasure, Alyssa Thomas and the team ( "Remember her name," April 1). As an alumnus and season ticket holder, I have always wondered at the lack of coverage (one never sees the weekly rankings of the women's team, despite our local team usually ranked in the top 10) and the lack of fan support. Season tickets are a bargain and the quality of play is top notch. If you were not at Comcast Center you missed a chance to watch the Terps almost beat Notre Dame and Connecticut this season.

COLLEGE PARK - They had been traveling much of the night, but no matter. Hours after returning from a victory that sent them into the Final Four, Maryland's women's basketball players - giddy with fatigue and joy - stood on a balcony in the Stamp Student Union during Wednesday's lunch hour waving to fans and shooting silly videos. The impromptu celebration was organized informally by the Terps themselves, using social media. "We actually kind of made our own pep rally," senior guard Sequoia Austin said Thursday.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Among the many accomplishments in the decorated career of Maryland women's basketball player Alyssa Thomas, the Final Four had been elusive for the school's career scoring leader until Tuesday night. Only hours after being named first-team All-American for a second time, the senior forward scored a team-high 22 points with a game-high 13 rebounds and made a critical foul shot in the closing seconds to help the No. 4 seed in the Louisville Region secure a 76-73 victory over No. 3 seed Louisville in the NCAA tournament's round of eight in front of an announced 14,002 at KFC Yum Center.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - In 2005-06, when the Maryland women's basketball team won the national championship, coach Brenda Frese's top assistant was Jeff Walz, who proved an invaluable resource on the bench, in the locker room and on the recruiting trail. The two routinely discussed strategy, and in those sessions, Frese foresaw a bright future for her coaching disciple wherever his career led him. Two seasons after helping the Terps to their first and only NCAA title, Walz moved on to become head coach at Louisville and in that time has catapulted the Cardinals onto the national stage with two appearances in the championship game.

COLLEGE PARK - When Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith arrived at Maryland's Comcast Center on Saturday afternoon, he noticed a large group of fans standing outside in the rain waiting to enter. It was further affirmation of just how much his annual celebrity basketball game had grown. An announced 4,493 attended the “Battle of the Beltway” all-star game, which pitted Smith's Ravens team against a Washington Redskins squad led by linebacker Ryan Kerrigan. The Ravens won, 63-61, on Jacoby Jones' tip-in of a miss by San Francisco 49ers star Anquan Boldin with four seconds to play in overtime. Proceeds of the game benefitted the Torrey Smith Foundation and Kerrigan's Blitz for the Better Foundation . “It's still kind of surreal, in a lot of ways,” said Smith.

COLLEGE PARK - It was a test Maryland had not cared to take: Could the Terps advance in the NCAA tournament against physically intimidating Texas on a night when star forward Alyssa Thomas - playing the final home game of her career - could not muster a field goal in the first half? But there the fourth-seeded Terps were, tied at halftime with the fifth-seeded Longhorns with Thomas having missed all five of her field-goal attempts and both of her foul shots. Aided by her "supporting cast," the Terps hung in until Thomas found her game in the second half - she finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds -- and Maryland earned a rugged, 69-64 victory.

(All games at University of Maryland's Comca s t Center ) Thursday Class 3A No. 4 Milford Mill (24-2) vs. Urbana (21-4) Time: 3 p.m. Outlook: After a one-year hiatus, the Millers return to the state tournament in a bid to capture the program's third championship in four years and sixth overall. First up is an Urbana team from Frederick County that brings athleticism and physical play. Milford Mill counters with superior quickness and basketball savvy, led by guards Justin Jenifer (13.5 ppg)

The No. 8 Maryland women's basketball team kept up with top-ranked Connecticut on Friday night, but for only so long. After tying the game 43-43 with 18:50 left in the second half, Maryland all but ran out of steam against the defending national champion Huskies. The Terps would score only 12 points more, fading late in a 72-55 loss at Comcast Center. UConn's Breanna Stewart led all scorers with 26 points on 9-for-16 shooting. Her all-around attack - three 3-pointers to go with six offensive rebounds - kept the Huskies (3-0)

COLLEGE PARK - Maryland had defeated Army 40 minutes earlier, and Terps players were picking up notepads and pens and filtering back toward the Comcast Center court to scout their next NCAA tournament opponent. They didn't need to watch long to grasp their formidable task in Tuesday night's second-round matchup: limiting the influence of Texas center Imani McGee-Stafford, the mobile, 6-foot-7 sophomore with the bright orange hair and impressive basketball pedigree. The fourth-seeded Terps (25-6)